Congressional mid-term elections are in 2014, but their approval rating is only 12%. It may be difficult for democrats to win back the House. Democrats and Republicans will have to work hard for votes in this election. Noonan believes that Republican Chris Christy could actually win in the blue state of NJ because he is more moderate about the environment, gun control, etc. Christy believes that politics is "personal". Republicans can't win in VA. "Demography in this country isn't good for republicans."

This video discussed the chances of Republicans or Democrats winning the House in the upcoming midterm elections. Many of the issues that seem to be swaying voters one way or another are social issues, so if they want to win, they need to choose the social issues that appeal to the largest amount of voters.. Voters want to vote for a candidate that they think is most like themselves.

Congressional approval rating is down to 12% approved due to the Repubs' demand for a shutdown and the Demos' disorganized healthcare bill. Guesses for the coming House election has Demos and Repubs on an equal stand, Demos leading by only 8%. Who's to say states are getting ready to shift colors. 8% is nothing to give the wins to Demos. The healthcare bill doesn't seem to work itself out anytime soon, and as laid offs increase, the anger for govt shutdown decreases over time. I don't see any faction in the lead, the 48 to 40 percent will equal out quite soon.

This video talks about how Nate Silver predicted 2012's election outcome. Later the midterm election is talked about. Apparently the rating fot democrats and republicans are low because of the government shut down and problems with Obamacare.It's evedently clear that the minority opinion is becoming stonger and stronger.

TX, GA, OK, LA, MS, and WV refuse to give out military spouse identification that would allow federal marriage benefits to same sex couples. These states believe that Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel's order that gay spouses of militants get the same benefits that straight spouses would, doesn't apply to them as it conflicts with their state laws. They believe that they aren't breaking federal law because these people just have to go to federal bases to get their ID, but why create the extra hassle? The southern states are being discriminatory again just like the black and white segregation, but they'll wait to deal with this issue in upcoming elections.

Some States deny the confirming of marriage benefits for homosexual couples. Personally, I find this a little funny, because the article notes that these States want to "uphold their integrity". Uhm, what sort of integrity? That homosexual marriages are not....marriages- that is, believed by the people and conservative state legislators? I can't figure out this lame excuse of "integrity", because really, refusing to accept other people's decisions are no sort of integrity. (Feeling neutral about gay marriages does not mean I fervently support it).

This article talks about Texas and other states refusing giving the same marriage benefits to gay couples as man/woman couples in the national guard. Defense Secretary Hagel had ordered that gay spouses of the National guard be given the same rights, but Texas and others aren't budging.

I think that gay people should have the same rights as other marriages. I think that especially same sex military couples should get the same benefits as everyone else. It doesn't affect anyone but them so it is obnoxious and annoying not to give it to them. Yes the states that are resisting to give the gay couples the benefits are very conservative it does not mean that we should not give everyone the same military couple benefits no matter who they are it is there right they risk there lives to serve our country and can't get couple benefits all because they are gay. That is absurd and ridiculous.

Forget the Vitter amendment. Rand Paul wants to make sure that Congress can’t ever again write laws with provisions specific to lawmakers.

Rachel Murphy's insight:

Rand Paul and Sen. David Vitter don't like the idea that congress will be exempt from Obamacare because they will continue to receive federal employer contributions to help pay for insurance. Paul wants an amendment that will state that “Congress shall make no law applicable to a citizen of the United States that is not equally applicable to Congress,” His idea seems only fair, but I don't if congress will vote to put more restraints on themselves.

In this article, Rand Paul is pitching the idea to add an amendment that prohibits Congress from passing laws that Congress is exempt from and having to dealin with lawmakers. Its clearly aimed at Obamacare for the reasons that when it is in action, exchanges must be made by the congressmen and rulings from the O.P.M. in order to receive federal contributions. It is unlikely that Congress will go for more restrictions.

A kentucky senator, Rand Paul, wants an amendment forbidding senators and representatives to pass laws that don't apply equally to Congress and the citizens. Specifically aimed at Obamacare, this amendment will force lawmakers to disclose exchanges and rulings from the Office of Personnel Management in order to receive federal employer contributions. Amending the Constitution requires a majority vote in both chambers before it can be ratified, and I think Paul has a difficult task ahead of him to convince lawmakers to give up their authority to make laws.

This article tells us that Rand Paul wants an amendment forbidding senators and representatives to pass laws that don't apply equally to Congress and the citizens. Paul specifically aims this at Obamacare, his proposed amendment will force lawmakers to disclose exchanges and rulings from the Office of Personnel Management in order to receive federal employer contributions. It seems Paul has a difficult task ahead of him to convince lawmakers to give up their authority to make laws because amending the Constitution requires a majority vote in both chambers before it can be ratified.

Video on msnbc.com: NBC’s Kate Snow spoke with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin about the debt ceiling and what happens if Congress fails to raise that limit so the government can borrow more money to pay its bills...

I learned that hitting the debt ceiling means that the government isn't allowed to spend more money. If the debt ceiling is raised it means higher taxes for the American people. Interest rates for the US may increase. ARS says that the US will have to spend a lot more money in order to borrow money.

I am honestly befuddled by this entire predicament. Even after gathering an understanding of the debt ceiling and its impending deadline, I fail to understand why our country's elected officials, this country's highest legal authority, cannot come together and do what is best for those they represent, those who gave them their seats.

It seems that America has very little options, with all of them most likel going to spiral downhill. One question I would like answered is what does the government need to do to get to a point where it doesn't need to borrow money? I think that paying foreign nations back in small amounts would be best; borrowing more and raising the debt ceiling is what placed the goverment in this situation anyway. There are many other ways but I think that that would be the best way.

If we do not raise the debt ceiling, American citizens will experience an extreme loss of goods and services provided by the federal government. Then the government would have to decide if they want to pay back foriegn debtors (like China) and let Americans suffer, or supply goods and services to Americans and let the debt to countries increase until we do not have money yet. The states may have to step up and provide the services that the federal government can't.

The roundtable debates the role of social media in politics following Twitter's IPO.

Rachel Murphy's insight:

IA Sen. Chuck Grassley is famous for his tweets. 100 senators, 97% of the House, and 49/50 governors all have twitter accounts. This goes to show how politics is modernizing and changing because of social networking. It is a quick way to directly communicate with the public, I agree with Keith Ellison's view. Heilemann believes that it is a great tool to speed up the news cycle and Navarro says that it's a great way to connect with the younger crowd, which is all true. Twitter is helping politics way more than it is hurting. Cokie Roberts is alone in her view that twitter is bad.

twitter has greatly changed politics for better or for worse. consituents can communicate with representatives even easier. some politicans are thought more of as celebrities now especially during election time when they will be on the cover of magaizines and on tabloids. politicains can sometimes seem unproffesional on twitter using slang and abreviations but i think they should try to sound more proper.

Almost 100% of politicians are involved in the practice of twittering. It's another way to rant, complain and tattle tale through personal media. There's no way for policies to restrain politicians from interracting with the public through media. Politics can now reach out to the lazy, young generations and plus they can control the news they want to put out individually.

This video talks about how twitter is changin politics and the information communicated through it, using twitter makes it that much faster and easier to get information out there. Twitter has such a large ammount of users interested in politics, that it made sense for politians to create accounts. It's cool seeing politians, old and young, adapt to these new trends!

Because of low enrollment in the Affordable Care Act, Democrats might abandon part of the health law to support Republican Fred Upton, who is proposing a bill that will allow Americans to keep their current health coverage through 2014. The bill is being voted on tomorrow, Friday, so the White House and House Democrats must come up with an alternative. Sen. Mary Landrieu doesn't support Upton, but she is optimistic about her plan to strengthen the Affordable Care Act. Upton's plan would allow insurer's to sell plans that are substandard to the Affordable Care Act, thus rendering it useless.

Enrollment is low for the Affordable Healthcare and Demos are planning to ditch Obama. His top aides suggested cancellation but maybe Obama is saving face, he doesn't think the plan will dry up...oh but it might just will.

This article talks about how Obamacare is doing lots of things it said it wouldn't, like getting rid of American's insurance coverage when the president said they would keep it. Democrats and republican's are agreeing with each other on not making american's keep the obamacare.

This article talks about how some democrats have been threatening to abandon Obama on Health Law Provision. It says that the Democrats in congress have been more supportive of the idea that Americans should be allowed to keep the insurance coverage they are losing because of the Affordable Care Act after Obama already stated that they could keep their existing insurance. Obama is just digging himself a deeper hole.

Peter Baker talks about his book, “Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House.” He calls the relationship between the duo, “one that drifted apart.”

Rachel Murphy's insight:

Baker's book about President Bush and VP Cheney's relationship details how Bush and Cheney started off pretty close. Bush would like to consult his VP about important issues like going to war in 2003. By 2006, that relationship was diminishing and Bush even went behind Cheney's back to replace Cheney's friend. They were arguing about pardoning Scooter Libby. Cheney was a very respected man and people listened to him.Cheney had a lot of health issues.

The video explains how Cheney was influential in Bush's decision-making, but less and less was he influential towards the end of Bush's 2nd term. This discussion was very interesting to watch as it painted Dick Cheney in another light, other than being the lackey to the younger Bush. Without Cheney's participation and adcive, Bush wouldn't have lasted the White House for past one term.

This video discusses the relationship between Bush in cheney and how it was not all as it seems and in their new book, Days of Fire, you can see that. All though they had their differences and grew distant they came together when needed. I think it was a nice video and good to hear a little behind the scenes of the truth of their relationship and how it wasnt all good.

This video is about bush and chaney while they where in the white house. It outlines the breaking and falling apart of their relationship and how bush really didn't have any power and chaney was the one really making the decisions, like a "puppet master". I think that their relationship as friends and as colleges was strained due to the media, the policy agenda and the war in Iraq.

Obama and the tea party don’t like the practice of politics. Obama wished that his healthcare bill didn’t require so many negotiations with so many different people. He wished to have no legislative involvement which is pretty impossible to do with our Madisonian constitution. Obama and the tea party are impatient with Madisonian politics. The tea party better learn patience or it will become history. I didn't know that our own president is so reluctant to go through the mostly always difficult process of passing a bill. Especially a huge healthcare reform bill.

Both are similar in that they are really hard to compromise with. The framers of the government have aimed for the structure of the govt. to balnce out the power. I don't see any similarities between the two other than their characteristics when it comes to compromise.

I strongly agree that politicians these days are so blinded by their parties' goals that they are unable to make necessary compromises that are better for the country. I like the way that the writer compares the Tea Party with Obama. He also says that because of this unwillingness to compromise, Obama has too much power.

The article says that both Obama and the Tea Party don't want to go through the process of compromising that Madison had planned out. They're both impatient and arent willing to work together. I think an issue like this should be compromised, They need to come up with a solution together and figure out what to do. Obama does want the legislative branch to touch Obamacare. In my opinion, thats not very democratic or fair. The legislative branch represents the US citizens. we elect representatives in the legislative branch so we can have a voice. With Obama saying he doesn''t want congess to touch it seems like he doesn't really care about our opinion.

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